Plate reversing and cooling mechanism



Dec. 18, 1928.

C. W. KINTER "ET AL PLATE REVERSING AND COOLING MEGHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fied May 20, 1927 ATTO NEY Dec. 18, 192s."

C. W. KINTER ET AL PLATE REVERSING AND COOLING MECHANISM Filed May 2o, 1927 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec.` 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

CHARLES W.' KINTER .AND CHARLES `H. MANION, 0F FOLLANSBEE, WEST VIRGINIA,

ASSIGNORS TO FOLLANSBEE BROTHERS COMPANY, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- 'V.ANIA, A CORPORATION OFV PENNSYLVANIA. l v j y :PLATE nnvnRsING AND cooLiNG MECHANIsi/i.` i

Application led May` 2.0,

This invention relates broadly to cooling conveyors for freshly coated metal plates, and it has for its primary object to provide a conveyor by means of which the plates are advanced following the coating operation for eecting cooling of the coating metal and whereby the plates are so handled as to prevent the deposit upon edgesl thereof of excess coating metal in the form of list.

A further object is .to provide a cooling conveyor by means of which the freshly coated plates are automaticallymoved to reversed positions promptly following the coating operation, or while the coating metal remains in fluid condition, for redistributing by gravity the surplus coating metal which would otherwise collectkin the form of hst upon the lower edges of ythe plates.

The elimination of list from coated metal 2o sheets is particularly desirable, because,

' when cooled, it constitutes a bead of such relatively great thickness thatvnot only is the appearance o f the sheet or platemarred thereby, but the later working of the plate is thereby interfered with, or rendered difficult. In the present invention list eliminationand handling of the sheets for effecting cooling are accomplished by one and the ,same mechanism. n

In describingthe invention in detail, reference is n herein had toA the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figure 1 is a sideelevation 'of vthe invention Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same; n Figure 3 is a detail Lsectional view, enlarged, taken substantially on line 3 3, Fs2s ,1 lFigure 4 is an enlarged cross section yof a chain-carried bar, showing the attaching lug;

Figure 5 is a face view of the circular motor-control switch; Y

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6, Fig. 5; and- Figure V7 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of the limit switch.

yReferring to said drawings, 1 designates the legs of a frame whichy supports at convenient height the side members 2 of a rec- 50 tangular bed or table having transverse supporting members or bars 3 superposed thereon. Carried by said bars 3 are suitably disposed longitudinally extending trackways 4:

upon which may` travel the upper laps of con- 1927. Serial No. 193,044.

veyor chains or belts 5 that may embody friction-reducing rollers 6. Said chains 'are 1 carried by sprocket wheels 7 mounted on shafts 8 which are journaled in suitable bearings 9 mounted upon opposite ends of the frame members 2.

bOne of the shafts 8 is driven from the drive assembly, which, as herein shown, consists of an electric motor 10 and a gear-speed reduction unit 11, by means of an endless belt or chain 12 connecting sprocketv wheels 13 and 14 carried, respectively, by the final suitably spaced parallel relation are the lower end portions of two upstanding metal fingers 18designed as carriers vfor coated metal plates. Each Vof said fingers 18 has hook-like terminals 18 and 18b at its upper andlower ends within which are received the top and i bottom edges, respectively, of the freshly coated plates 19 as thel latter, coming from the `coating bath, are transferred thereto. Said fingers are rearwardly inclined relative to planes disposed at right angles to the conveyor chains and have their intermediate, or

body, portions arcuately curved or bowed tov the extent that the adjacent faces of they supported plates will not belly-into contact therewith. f Aseach s heet comes from the eXit rolls of the coating` bath, it is immediately transferred, either inanuallyor by appropriatel mechanical means, to that pair of conveyor fingers 18 which occupies substantially the position shown at X in Fig. 1that is, lto the foremost pair of the returning fingers borne by the lower lap of the conveyor chains-said pair being then disposed in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined position. The lower edge of the plate so transferred, as the latter is entered in seating relation to said fingers, engages and d'epresses an end of a lever 2O which is pivotally mounted intermediate 'its end upon a-suitable stationary support, as

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2l, located between the opposite sides oli the bloclrs 34 into contact With the face oit o ne ot rear end ofthe irame. Said lever constitutes the ring segments 32 or 33, thus closing a the movable member oi? a switch, or i tsivitch type, whereby an electric power circuit tothe motor l() is closed for driving said motor. rlh-e opposite end or the lever 20 an electrical contact 22 which is located in one side of an electric circuit having a conductor Wire 23 leading` thereto from the source or electrical energy. A contact 2li carried-by the stationary member 2G ot said sivitch, herein shown ot bracket iiorm, has a conductor Wire 25 leading thereto from terminal post (not shown) oic said motor.

A, motor control switch is provided a suitable point, the purposey thereoi:i bei continue the operation ot the motor threi out a deiinite interval following the op oi the limitswitch, hereinbetcre desc b the movable member 2G oia liich permitted to resume its normal position, actuated by a compression spring 2'?, instantly upon initiation or advance movement of the conveyor lingers from plate-receiving position,

Said control switch, as herein shown, comprises a circular disk 28 rigidly mounted upon the tace or a boss 29 formed upon a bearing 3() in which is journaled an extensie-n of il, iinal driven shaft 3l of the drive assemi hcreinbetore referred to. Said disk, as herein shown, is made oi liber or other material nonconductive oi electric current and loosely embraces, or encircles, said sha-tt 3l. Carried upon the outer tace oij said disk are two ring segn'ients 32 and 33 Which are separated at diametrically opposite points by bloclis 3ft et non-conducting material and to each oit which connected a branch conductor 35 lead- .ing from the conductor 25 hereinbefore referred to. l

vThe projecting end, or extension, of the shaft, 3l has rigidly mounted thereon in'- sulated therefrom an arm 36 which, in the rotation of said shaft, travels in contact Wit the liaces or the segments 32 and 33 and the interposed blocks 34. The shai't embracing portion of said arm 36 carries a boss 36 with which, in the rotation oit said shaft, a spring contact 37, herein shown as mounted upon the motor bed 38, makes wiping contact. Said spring contact is connected by a branch conductor 39 to the conductor 23, hereinbeore referred to. .Y

Starting of the motor, effected as hereinbetore described, by closing ot the electric circuitthrough the limit switch upon seating a plate i9 in carrying position on the lingers 18 which occupy the receiving position shown at X in F ig. l, serves to advance the conveyor mechanism a short distance prior te the reopening of said circuit which results trom the elevation ot said plate ofi the member 20 oit said switch. ln this short travel the arm 36 is rotated from the position in which it rests upon the face of one of the insulator branch circuit to the motor at about the same time that the main circuit through the limit switch is opened, causing the motor to continue its operation until the arm 36 passes irom said ring segment to the next insulater block 3e, hereupon the motor instantly stops. The distance traveled by the conveyor chains during the time that the arm 36 is being advanced trom one insulator block 34C te the next is that which is required to advance the nent in series oi the pairs ci carrying lingers of the conveyor' to the plate-rcce-ivingl position X. l v

'llie pl te 19, which is mounted in the carryingv ii g 13 at the receiving point with its list-carrying edge down, is advanced 'teV a reversed position in the short intervalv of time which elapses between the starting and stopping oi the motor and which is the time required to advance the lnext succeedingset'or" tinge-rs 13 to said receiving point, ready to vrev-- ccive the next plate. Thus, the surplus fluid coating metal which would other vise solidify upon said ede'e ot' the plate is permitted to distribute promptly by gravity drainage over the surfaces of the plate.' y l* lin the further intermittent advance cit-he plate the coating metal becomes cooled. The

plates are successively removed or discharged y l. ln a plate reversing and-cooling mechanism, endless conveyor chains, a plurality of Y supporting members mounted onV said chains in uniformly spaced relation, a pair of iingers constituting a plate carrier mounted'on each supporting member in upstanding relation'to the latter, eachV finger having at its opposite ends plate-edge-receiving terminals oli' hook-like form, and means for intermittently advancing said chains throughout r the distance between successive plate carriers.

2. ln a plate reversing and cooling mechanism, endless traveling chains, a plurality,v of plate carriers borne by said chains-in uniformly spaced relation, each carrier compris'- ing a supporting member and a plurality of lingers, said lingers having their lower end portions mounted in rigid' relation tov said member, each linger having at its opposite ends seats for the reception ofopposite edges ot a plate, and means: for intermittently advancing said cha-ins throughout the distance between successive carriers.

3. In a plate reversingand cooling mechanism, endless traveling chains, a. plurality ol lli" lille plate carriers borne by said chains in uniformly spaced relation, each carrier comprising a suitable support and a pair of fingers, the latter having their Vlower end portions rigidly mounted on and occupying inclined upstanding relation to said support, each fin ger having at its opposite ends seats Jfor the reception of opposite edges of a plate, and means for intermittently advancing` said chains throughout the distance between successive carriers.

et. In a plate reversing'and cooling mecha nism, endless traveling chains, a plurality of plate carriers borne by said chains in uniformly spaced relation, an electric drive including a motor, and means for energizing said motor intermittently for advancing said chains throughout the distance between adj a-V cent carriers for presenting the latter succes` sively in plate-receiving position, which distance is also that required to eiect reversal of the plate in its movement from said posi# tion, said energizing means including two electric power circuits to the motor, a normally open switch located in one circuit and adapted to be closed by the introduction of a plate in a carrier occupying receivingposition and to open automatically upon a slight advancel ofsaid plate from said position, and

normally open switch located in the other circuit which is actuated to close upon starting of said drive mechanism for maintaining the motor energized throughout a. definite interval of travel.

5. In a plate reversing and cooling conveyor, endless traveling chains, successive' plate carrlers borne by said chains 1n spaced relation, means including an electric motor lfor driving said chains, a normally open mo- `distance between successive carriers, said distance being predetermined to providey reversal of each plate inthe movement of its carrier from said receiving position.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures.

CHARLES W. KINTER. CHAS. H. MANION. 

